Mulix
}} The Mulix (マリックス) The Japanese pronunciation is closer to "Malix", and , p.341, calls the camera "Malix" by mistake. is a Japanese 6×6 folding camera, made by Tanaka , item 90. and distributed by Kuwata Shōkai from 1940 to 1943. Dates: advertisements mentioned in , p.341. Description The Mulix is an ordinary copy of the Ikonta 6×6, with a folding finder, a key at the top left to advance the film, strap lugs and a body release. The back is hinged to the right and has a single red window in the middle. The back leather is embossed MULIX vertically on the left and the case is also embossed MULIX. The body is extremely similar to the Lyra Six III and Lyra Six F made by Fuji Kōgaku, which was perhaps a subcontractor. The folding struts and the red window cover are engraved KKS, initials found on other Kuwata products. All the models are fitted with a front-cell focusing four-element Mulixar lens, made by Tanaka itself. Four elements made by Tanaka: , lens items Lb36 and Lc26. Advertisements dated January and July 1942 (reproduced in , p.94, and here at Gochamaze) also mention four-element lenses. Commercial life Early version The Mulix was first advertised in September 1940. , p.341. The October 1940 advertisement in lists two versions (not distinguished by name in any way) and gives no price: Advertisement in October 1940, reproduced in , p.95. * Mulixar f/4.5 lens, T, B, 5–250 speeds; * Mulixar f/3.5 lens, B, 1–500 speeds. In the advertising picture, the finder's front part is black and the shutter plate has a K.S. (or maybe K.K.S.) marking at the top. The list of set prices compiled in October 1940 and published in January 1941, has a "Mulix I" for ¥79 and a "Mulix II" for ¥110, with no further detail. , type 4, sections 3 and 6A. Later version, with revised distance ring Advertisements dated February and April 1941, January and July 1942, all show the same picture of a newer camera, with a new conical-shaped lens rim, partly hiding the shutter plate. Advertisement in February 1941, reproduced in , p.77; advertisement in April 1941, p.512; advertisement in Hōdō Shashin January 1942, reproduced in , p.94; advertisement in Asahi Graph 29 July 1942, reproduced at Gochamaze. The distance scale is engraved on the conical part; this makes focusing possible even with a filter or a hood attached. Feature described in the advertisements dated January and July 1942. Another minor difference is that the finder's front part is now chrome plated. All the advertisements give Kuwata Shōkai as the sole company name. Three models are listed in that order: * Mulix II: f/3.5 lens, slow speeds to 1s ( in 1941, in 1942); * Mulix III: f/4.5 lens, slow speeds to 1s ( in 1941, in 1942); * Mulix I: f/4.5 lens, slow speeds to 1/5s ( in 1941, in 1942). Various Mulix filters were offered to go with the camera, each at ¥5.80. Oddly, the model numbers don't follow a logical progression and the documents do not mention top speeds. It seems that the camera listed as a "Mulix II" in the January 1941 price list now appears as the Mulix III. The April 1943 government inquiry on Japanese camera production mentions two versions of the Mulix, one with a Mulixar 75/4.5 lens and a KP III shutter (T, B, 1–200) made by Kinshō, and another with a Mulixar 75/3.5 lens and a Hydromatic Super (ハイヅロマチックスーパー) shutter (B, 1–500). , listing Japanese camera production as of April 1943, items 90 and 99, shutter items 18-P-9 and 18-Q-7. Actual examples The camera pictured in this page is the only example of the Mulix observed so far. It has a Mulixar 75mm f/3.5 lens, and 200–1, B, T speed settings engraved on the shutter plate in that order. The bottom of the shutter plate is curiously marked K.PRONTOR.S. The "K.S." initials probably correspond to Kinshō, and this shutter is certainly the KP III (perhaps for Kinshō Prontor III). Notes Bibliography Original documents * . Advertisement by Kuwata Shōkai in April 1941, p.512. * Items 90 and 99. * Type 4, sections 3 and 6A. Recent sources * Item 256. (See also the advertisement for item 133.) The Mulix is not listed in . Links In Japanese: * Advertisement from the 29 July 1942 issue of Asahi Graph, reproduced in the 120 film camera page at Gochamaze Category: Japanese 6x6 viewfinder folding Category: M